Istanbul, January 25, 2024
Photo: greeknewsusa.com
The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople weighed in today on the gay marriage and adoption controversy currently raging in Greece.
Constantinople has dozens of dioceses in Greece, including those on the island of Crete, whose Eparchial Synod also issued a statement Synod of Crete speaks out against gay marriage and adoptionThe statement emphasizes that the Church preaches the timeless Divine truth that marriage is between a man and a woman, and warns that gay marriage is detrimental for the children of such “marriages.”
“>last week. The hierarchs of the Church of Greece also unanimously voted against gay marriage and adoption Greek hierarchs unanimously condemn gay marriage and adoptionThe hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Greece met in an extraordinary session today, with the sole item on the agenda being the state’s intention to legalize gay marriage and adoption by gay couples.”>on Tuesday.
And yesterday, the Synod of Constantinople reiterated the Church’s stance against gay marriage. Its communiqué reads:
The Holy and Sacred Synod, convening under the presidency of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch in its regular session today, Wednesday, January 24, 2024, reminds the pious flock of the All-Holy Ecumenical Throne, in the discussion regarding the establishment of marriage between individuals of the same sex and regarding adoption in Greece, of the binding decision of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete, June 2016), that “The Church does not allow for her members to contract same-sex unions or any other form of cohabitation apart from marriage,” as “the union of man and woman in Christ,” which “constitutes ‘a small church; or an icon of the Church” (“Holy and Great Council: The Sacrament of Marriage and its ImpedimentsThe institution of the family is threatened today by such phenomena as secularization and moral relativism. The Orthodox Church maintains, as her fundamental and indisputable teaching, that marriage is sacred. The freely entered union of man and woman is an indispensable precondition for marriage.
“>The Sacrament of Marriage and Its Impediments,” 1.10 and 4).
It is noted at the same time that members of the Church who enter into such forms of cohabitation must be treated with pastoral responsibility and love in Christ.
Meanwhile, government representatives in Greece have made it clear that they intend to legalize gay marriage and adoption regardless of the voice of the Church.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!